Drinking fountain attachment



May 29, 1956 R. w. HYDE 2,747,930

DRINKING FOUNTAIN ATTACHMENT Filed May 6, 1953 INVENTOR.

W ZU

.gif

ATroreNEys.

United States I Patent DRINKING FOUNTAIN ATTACHNIENT Robert W. Hyde, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Schaible Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 6, 1953, Serial No. 353,384

2 Clams. (Cl. 299-11) This invention relates to drinking fountain attachments for faucets, and is directed in particular to a drinking fountain attachment which is adapted to be used in conjunction with a kitchen sink faucet having aiiixed to it. an aerating device of the type exemplified by U. S. Patent No. 2,210,846.

The attachment of the present invention consists essentially of an arcuate tube and means to pivotally mount the tube upon a faucet aerating device so that the tube may be moved from a position of non-use into a second position in which a portion of the stream of water issuing from the faucet is directed upwardly to form a drinking fountain.

It has been proposed in the past to mount a U-shaped' tube adjacent a water outlet and arrange the tube so that one end thereof may be placed into the stream of water issuing from the outlet to provide a drinking fountain. However, if such a tube is installed at an ordinary kitchen. sink faucet, extreme care must be exercised in adjusting; the rate of fiow of water through the faucet in order to obtain a useful fountain. Furthermore, should the faucet be turned on full inadvertently with the tube in drinking position, it is quite likely that a spout of water would shoot to the ceiling. The attachment of the present invention, when employed in conjunction with an aerating device, overcomes these objections.

One of the purposes of an aerating device is to prevent water from splashing when it strikes a sink or objects in a sink. The aerator device breaks up the fiow of water and mixes it with air which is induced into the stream flowing through the aerator. The air after beingl mixed initially with the water is passed through several fine mesh screens which subdivide the particles of air into a multiplicity of minute bubbles. Upon leaving the screens, the water is discharged as a single stream or jet. The air bubbles entrapped within the jet serve as cushions so that instead of splashing when striking an object, the stream of water merely fiows over the surface upon which it impinges. I have discovered that the anti-splash, cushioned jet of water issuing from a faucet aerator may be directed through an arcuate tube to form a drinking fountain, and that such fountain does not rise above a safe, useful height even when the faucet is turned on full.

It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide an attachment which may be associated with an aerating device to convert an ordinary kitchen faucet into a practical drinking fountain.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide a drinking fountain attachment of the type set forth which.- s pivotally mounted so that it may be shifted easily from an out of the way position into a drinking position. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the attachment is pivoted about a horizontal axis and mounted to swing vertically from a position in which a portion of the stream; issuing from the aerator is intercepted and directed upwardly, into a position in which the aerator rests against the front of the faucet spout where it does not interfere with the normal use of the faucet.

ice f It is an additional objective of the invention to provide a small, attractive and inexpensive drinking fountain attachment of the type set forth which is adapted to be mounted upon existing aerating devices. I have found that the air inlet ports in the sides of the aerating devices presently available may be used in journal the attachment for movement between the two positions described without alteration.

Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the outer end portion of a faucet having an aerating device attached thereto showing an attachment incorporating the principles of the present invention in a raised position of non-use.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 in which the drinking fountain attachment is lowered into position to intercept a portion of the stream issuing from the aerator and thereby direct it upwardly to provide a drinking fountain.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Figure 2.

The aerating device shown in the drawings incorporatest the principles of operation disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,210,846. The aerating device, which is indicated by the numeral 10, is designed to be threaded onto the discharge end of a faucet spout indicated generally at 11. The aerator shown is intended to be representative only; because, as will be apparent, the successful operation of the attachment is not dependent upon the particular design and shape of the aerator with which it is associated. Aerator 10 includes an upper screen 12 which is seated within an annular washer 13 which seals the juncture between the aerator and the faucet spout. Below screen 12 an inverted cup-shaped element 14 defines a chamber 15 into which water is forced, when the faucet is turned` on, through a plurality of openings 16 in the top of the element 14. Water within chamber 15 is mixed with air which is induced into the chamber through air inlet ports 17 in the side wall of the element. Ports 17 are open to the atmosphere through horizontal slots 18 which are formed in the body 19 of the device. Air induced through slots 18 and ports 17 is entrapped within the water in chamber 15 and then broken into a 'multiplicity of tiny bubbles by a plurality of screens 20 which are disposecl immediately below chamber 15. A passageway 21 below screens 20 forms the issuing water into a column or jet. The issuing jet is white in appearance as a result of the entrapped air and has the anti-splash properties which are characteristic of such aerating devices.

In general, the drinking fountain attachment shown in the drawings consists of an arcuate tube 22, a pair of arms 23 and journal means 24. The arms 23 may be brazed or otherwise secured to the tube and are arranged to form a substantially U-shaped spring clip which is configurated to embrace the body of aerator 10. Each arm has a small pin 25 affixed to its outer end, the respective pins extending to-ward one another on a common axis. Each pin may be upset to provide a collar 26 which resides against the inner face of the arm in which it is mounted, a stub portion 27 which passes through an aperture in the arm, and an outer portion 28 which is swaged over to secure the pin to the arm. The inner portion of each pin constitutes a shank 29 which is adapted to traverse slot 18 and an air inlet port 17, as shown in Figure 3, to provide a pivotal mount for the arm. It is contemplated that means other than those shown may be provided to pivotally mount the attachment on an aerating device of diflerent design than the one disclosed in the drawings. Inasmuch as air inlet ports are required in an aerating device, it is believed that mounting a device incorporating the principles of the nvention upon a different type of aerator should present no great problem, since pins, such as those shown, or' mounting means of a similar nature can be engaged within the openings constituting the air inlet ports or air passageways which must be provided to permit air to enter in order to be mixed with the water.

As a practical matter the arcuate tube 22 need be no longer or larger than 'is required t-o direct upwardly a portion of the water issuing from the faucet. In the instance shown, vthe end of the tube which is placed into the stream of water is cupped slightly as shown at 3G. In addi-tion, the arms are arranged so that lthe tube rests against the dis-charge end of the aerat-ing device when the cupped end of vthe tube is correctly positioned to intercept and direct water into the tube. Preferably, the tube is shaped so that the discharge end is pointing substantially straight up when the attachment is in drinking position as shown in Figure 2. It will also be observed 'that the disch'arge end of the tube is angulated as at 31 so as to permit the attachment to be raised into the position shown in F'igure 1. In this position, the attachment does not interfere with the normal use of the faucet since it. substantially follows the contour of the front of the spout.

It Will be appreciated that the size o'f .the device, particularly 'the length and specific shape of the arms and tube may be varied to adapt the attachment to faucets and aerators -of different design than those shown. If desired, the attachment may be formed as an integral part of an aerating device. In the instance shown, the attachment is adapted to be manufactured as a separate unit. For attachment the arms are merely sprung apart to permit the shanks of pins 25 to be engaged in the slots 18 and ports 17.

The anti-splash characteristic of the stream issuing from the aerator is not destroyed in .the portion of the stream which is directed through the attachment. Thus, there is :no danger of water splashing from the sink onto the clothes of a person using the founta'in. It will be seen, therefore, that the attachment which I have disclosed provides a convenient drinking fountain which may be attached to an aerating device and permitted to remain in place indefinitely, to be lowered or raised, into and out of drinking position, as desired. The cushioned stream provided by the aerator does not have suflicient force to cause the water to vbe forcibly ejected from the attachment and even with the faucet full on, the fountain does not rise |to a height which makes drinking ditficult.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In combination, a drinking fountain attachment and a faucet aerating device, said aerating device having air inlet openings at opposite sides thereof, said attachment comprising an arcuate tube, a pair of arms extending from the inwardly curved side of said arcuate tube, said arms config'urated to provide a substantially U-shaped spring clip, said clip em'bracing the respective opposite sides of said aerating device, and a pin at each of the respective ends of said arms, the respective pins being disposed upon the same horizontal axis and engaged in the respective air inlet openings to pivotally mount said attachment for Vertical movement between a raised position of non-use and a lowered position in which said arcuate tube vis disposed to intercept a portion of a stream of Water issuing from said aerator and direct upwardly said portion for drinlting purposes.

2. In combination, a drinking fountain attachment and a faucet aerating device, said aerating device having air inlet openings at opposite sides thereo'f, said drinking fountain attachment comprising an arcuate tube, a pair of arms secured to the inwardly curved side of said arcuate tube, 4the respective arms o-f the pair embracing the respective sides of said aerating device, and means at the outer ends of said arms engaged respectively in the air inlet openings at the sides of said aerator, the latter named means adap-ted to permit said tube to be swung vertically from a raised position in which said tube rests against the front of a faucet with which said aerating 'device is associated to a lowered position in which said tube is disposed to intercept a portion of a stream of water issuing from said aerating device and direct upwardly said portion for drinking purposes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,781,599 Quisling Nov. 11, 1930 1,835,428 Rathbun Dec. 8, 1931 2,565,554 Goodrie Aug. 8, 1951 2,632,671 Bishop Mar. 24, 1953 2,643,104 Holden June 23, 1953 

